Holliston Man Who Threatened Obama's Life Sentenced For Ammo Conviction

HOLLISTON, MA – A Holliston man who authorities said talked about killing President Obama and burning down a mosque was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to a charge of unlawful possession of ammunition earlier this year. Federal agents found a "substantial weapons trove" inside the home of Joseph Gargiulo, 41, who told a judge in July that he is "more clear-headed now."

Gargiulo was sentenced to time served – approximately 14 months – pending acceptance by and entrance into an intensive mental health inpatient treatment facility, according to the US Attorney's office.

Federal agents searched Gargiulo's home last year after learning he had acquired parts to make an AR-15 rifle and was stockpiling other weapons, including tasers, mace guns, hunting knives and incendiary chemicals. Authorities said around this time Gargiulo talked about planting bombs in police stations and killing as many homeland security officers as he could before he was killed, chaining a mosque shut and burning it down and assassinating President Obama.

Gargiulo never mentioned a specific mosque or time for such an attack.

A search of the 41-year-old's home yielded the parts needed to make an AR-15, more than 250 rounds of ammunition for the rifle, more than 100 rounds of 9-mm ammunition, chemicals that could be combined to create incendiary or explosive compounds and handwritten notes threatening violence against Muslims.
Gargiulo was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to an active restraining order against him.

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Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report